Apparatus for lifting toilet seat and lid with friction-based embodiments for regulating differential lowering rate of the seat and lid

ABSTRACT

A toilet seat lifting and lowering device, i.e., one that does not require use of or touching with the hands is disclosed. The invention comprises several improved embodiments for not only making the lifting and lowering assembly more simplified but also for counterbalancing the seat and lid against the pedal. In preferred embodiments the invention comprises a torque transfer assembly comprising two interacting cams that can, depending upon the embodiment used, designed to be self limiting in their rotational travel such that the arc rotation of the seat travels from horizontal to about vertical. The apparatus further has a friction-regulated tension assembly that acts to attenuate the rate of drop of the seat while a separate friction structural arrangement between the seat and lid provide for a differential lowering rate for the lid thereby eliminating inherent slamming down of the lid onto the seat.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/261,118 filed Oct. 28, 2005, to be issued as U.S. Pat. No.______, (and PCT application Ser. No. PCT/US05/38923 also filed Oct. 28,2005, national stages pending), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/187,252 filed Jul. 25, 2005, now U.S.Pat. No. 7,168,106 issued Jan. 30, 2007, which is a continuation-in-partof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/979,039 filed Nov. 2, 2004, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,934,974 issued on Aug. 30, 2005, which claims benefit ofProvisional application No. 60/640,537 filed on Dec. 20, 2004.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to toilet seat lifting and loweringmechanisms. More particularly, this invention relates to toilet seatlifting and lowering devices that can be operated without touching theseat and/or lid with the hands. Even more particularly, this inventionrelates to such devices that operate without rotating gears.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The following description includes information that may be useful inunderstanding the present invention. It is not an admission that anysuch information is prior art, or relevant, to the presently claimedinventions, or that any publication specifically or implicitlyreferenced is prior art.

Throughout the modern world's educated and urbanized societies peopleare generally aware of environments that harbor disease related germsand have learned a strong desire to avoid physical contact with suchenvironments. With respect to attempting to minimize contact, one factof humanity is that humans cannot avoid dangerous environments giventhat human waste itself harbors disease related bacteria and in somecases can harbor strains of highly virulent bacteria that can causelife-threatening illness. There has been a need therefore for the properdisposal of such waste, both fecal and urinary, while keeping exposureto the offensive environment to a minimum. Public and private toiletshave been the primary answer for solving this ubiquitous sanitationproblem in urbanized societies and some earlier attempts have been madeto further improve upon the toilet itself.

With respect to keeping from being contaminated and maintainingsanitation, civilized societies harbor general understanding thatalthough it is necessary to use, it is not desirable to have to touch bythe unprotected skin, such as of the hand or portion of a finger, thereceptacle of disease related waste (i.e., the toilet itself) whichincludes its seat and lid. This has long been the case especially withrespect to public toilets especially in situations such as restaurantswhere food is consumed, or highly dense population centers such asairports and rail stations. Thus, there have been numerous attempts todevise contraptions that allow a person in need of use of a toilet toavoid having to physically contact by bare skin, such as a portion ofthe hand, the toilet. As set forth below, examples of such devices have,due to their complexity (indicating limited level of understanding bythe inventor of the problem to be solved and an indication of the levelof skill of one of skill in the art at the time of such inventions),have limited practicality and usefulness in the market place.

For instance, in a first example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,517 to Brooks,discloses an apparatus wherein although the user need not touch thetoilet lid or seat themselves, the user would none the less be requiredto touch and in fact contact with reasonable force so as to insureintimate contact with a pull handle to actuate raising or lowering thelid and/or seat. Such a feature, especially in dense population settingsof air and rail stations, is just as undesirable as having to touch thelid or seat. This is due to the well known phenomenon of transferring ofgerms from one person to another via “fomite”, i.e., inanimate objectshandled by a plurality of people, in this case the pull handle itself.

In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,705,330 to Knudsen discloses acomplex rotating gear apparatus wherein in order to provide for liftingof the toilet set and, if also present, the lid, a complex gearingarrangement consisting of at least six gears is used. To lift the toiletseat/lid a foot pedal must be depressed at an appropriate rate but notso hard as to bounce the seat back down. To lower the lid/seat the useris required to push on the pedal again but must do so in a manner toeither bounce the seat off of a spring clip mounted under the lid (forlowering only the seat) or bounce the seat off of a seat lowering armbumper for lowering both seat and lid. This arrangement results in aseat lifting device that requires not only the learned talent of theuser to properly press the pedal, but also on gravity alone to bring theseat and lid down to a closed position and in this case there is noresistant force against the drop of the seat causing the seat to slamdown on the toilet rim. Additionally, the foot pedal is not designed tobe manipulated other than by being pressed down towards the ground bythe foot. There is no contemplation of manipulating the foot pedal inany other manner such as to lift up on the pedal from the under side ofit or to counter weight it. In fact the lifting arm has no attachment tothe seat. Additionally, a user must press the foot pedal at differingrates in order to either raise both seat and lid or just the lid, but ineither case the seat must slam down by gravitational force when the footis removed from the pedal. In each manner of operation there is intendedonly a downward force to be applied to the pedal.

Knudsen, discussed above, is a first example of complex rotating gearapparatuses that remarkably increase in complexity with respect to thespecific elements therein that cause the seat to be raised or lowered.In a second example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,654 to Wolfer discloses amechanism comprising at least 4 gears arranged in a fashion similar toKnudsen with an added feature that is unrelated to the mechanism ofaction for lifting the seat/lid, namely, a liquid dispensing squirt pumpoperated by the raising and lowering of the seat and lid. Thus, Wolferoffers nothing over Knudsen except for reducing the number of rotationgears by two.

In a third example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,877 to Kumarasurier discloses apedal operated device comprising a plethora of rotating and ratchetinggears for locking the seat in an up position and operated only bypressing down on the pedal. Specifically, the user must press the pedalto raise and lock the seat into a vertical position and then press againto lower wherein the user must maintain foot pressure on the pedal tokeep the lid/seat from slamming down onto the toilet rim. Remarkably,rather that finding simplicity, this invention comprises an entirerotating gear assembly for merely raising the seat via foot pressure ona pedal. Like the previous three patents, pulling up on the pedal is notcontemplated and in this case is not even possible for such an action toeffectuate lowering of the seat.

Still other inventions increase complexity using a multiplicity ofinterconnected levers. For example, PCT patent application serial numberPCT/AU87/00424 discloses a device which operates via a foot pedal whichremains on the ground and is attached to the seat/lid via a rod. Thisdevice does not simplify the mechanism for lifting but rathercomplicates it. Likewise, in another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,498 toJoseph discloses a foot pedal operated device which also remains on thefloor. In both of these inventions the pedal must be pressed for bothraising and lowering. In the latter, it is actually a spring thatinduces the seat to be lowered. Further, due to the fixed location ofthe lifting rod near the seat hinge, there is much weight acting on thepush rod allowing it to easily slam down on the toilet rim when the footis removed from the pedal.

In yet another example, even the recent state of the art (other thanthis inventor's) contemplates complexity in the design and operation ofa rotating gear-based seat and lid lifting device. In this example, U.S.Pat. No. 6,807687 to Marras, discloses a device employing at least 4rotating gears between separate pedals for lifting the seat and lid.This device requires the user to know which pedal to push.

Not until this inventor's previous invention, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,934,974, was a pedal operated toilet seat lifting device rotating“gear” mechanism reduced to only one double gear set (i.e., only tworotating gears). This device significantly advanced the pedal-driventoilet seat lifting art by locating the gearing mechanism apredetermined distance away from (and typically lower than) the locationof the seat/lid hinge itself and allowing the seat displacement rod toengage the seat via a slide guide attachment clip allowing the liftingarm to slidably engage the seat which combination of gear location andslide provides for a changing vector force acting upon the seatdisplacement rod causing a dampening of the downward force of gravityacting on the seat thereby further allowing the weight of the seat to becounterbalanced by a weight on the pedal displacement rod furtherallowing for effortless pushing down on the pedal for raising andlifting by the toe for lowering the seat. This invention furtheradvanced the art by significantly simplifying a means for limiting thetravel of the lifting arm in the form of a set-screw acting upon a tangassociated with the gear mechanism.

Additionally, as it is well known in the sanitation arts that publictoilets are constantly a challenge to maintain in a cleanly state, thereis still a need for easy maintenance toilet systems. This isparticularly in need with respect to men's toilets due to usersurinating on the seat due to avoiding lifting the toilet seat because ofnot wanting to touch it. As further disclosed below, the currentinvention provides a solution to this problem by providing a meansrequiring the user to lift the seat prior to urinating from a standingposition. Despite the advancements made in the art to date therefore,there is still a need for a pedal driven toilet seat which is simple,has a minimum of moving and/or engaging parts, is economical to produceand that satisfies a marketable need for a pedal driven seat and lidlifter. Thus, as herein set forth in the following paragraphs, weprovide yet a further novel improvement in the operation of apedal-driven toilet seat lifting apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first embodiment, this invention comprises a pedal-operated toiletseat/lid lifting and lowering apparatus comprising a torque transferassembly which as herein disclosed comprises a double cam actuatoraffixed to displacement rods which are themselves held in a positionrelative to one another in apertures in a support plate, said aperturesspecifically designed to both hold the displacement rods at apredetermined distance from one another and allow for the rods to rotatein their respective apertures.

In a particularly desirable embodiment the double cam actuator of thetorque transfer assembly comprises first and second cams wherein saidfirst cam is fixedly attached to a first displacement rod which isloosedly held in place in the support plate such that the rod can rotateabout a 360 degree circle. The first displacement rod is elongate andshaped at a 90 degree angle after extending through the support plateaperture. The first displacement rod ultimately terminates in a two-way(i.e., up and down movement) foot pedal. With respect to said first cam,it is a generally “U” shaped groove fixedly connected to thedisplacement rod. The cam can be attached to the rod by any known meanshaving a strength to withstand the torque force experienced by the camunder the weight of the toilet seat/lid, such as for example, a set pin,weld, screw, nail, dowels, cotter pins, punch pins, splined attachmentfit, etc. The cam may also simply be machined into the metal comprisingthe displacement rod. The first displacement rod is shaped so that itterminates in a pedal and as stated above is rotatably mounted in thesupport plate. Thus, by pressing down on the pedal connected to the endof the shaft the first cam will rotate and cause the second cam torotate in a counter direction.

In a further embodiment the second cam comprises a nonuniform nipplewith travel limitation stops machined at either side of the nipple, thenipple having a shape that will fit the groove of the first cam and beable to rotate with respect to the groove in the first cam. The secondcam is fixedly connected to a second displacement rod that is loosedlyheld in place in the support plate of the torque transfer mechanism suchthat the rod can rotate about a 360 degree circle but for thelimitations to rotation caused by the engagement of the nipple of thesecond cam with the “U” shaped indention of the first cam. The seconddisplacement rod attached to the second cam is elongate but much shorterthan the length of the first displacement rod. Upon rotation of thefirst cam actuated by pressing down on the pedal the second cam iscaused to be forced to rotate until the travel limit stop engagessurface of the first cam. Due to this improved design there is no needfor a limiting screw to limit the travel of the seat or lid. Further,this aspect provides for up to over a 90 degree arc movement fromhorizontal to past vertical of the toilet seat/lid while movement of thepedal has been less than a 90 degree movement. This advance provides anunforeseeable improvement by allowing such rotation without gears byforming a pivot point between only two dynamic cam surfaces.

In another embodiment, the second cam stop limits can be constructed soas to cause the travel limit of the seat/lid to be reached before theseat or lid contact the toilet water tank, if present, or if not presentto not travel so far as to allow the lid or seat to swing more than, forexample, 5 degrees past vertical.

In yet another improved embodiment, the seat is formed with a seconddisplacement rod actuator slide/tension adjusting assembly positioned soas to act in three functional aspects. First, the actuator assemblyhousing acts as a rear seat support for supporting the weight of aperson sitting thereon. Since the invention pedal mechanism can bepositioned on either side of the toilet, the seat is manufactured withrod actuator slide/tension adjustment assemblies on both sides of theseat. Second, the actuator slide is placed lower than the seat surfaceand by its positioning forward from the seat hinge, when pressure isapplied by the terminal end of the displacement rod inserted therein asby pressing down on the pedal of the invention, the vector force ofgravity acting on the seat/lid is decreased, as experienced by thepressure required to be applied to the foot pedal of the invention,providing for additional counter balancing of the seat/lid weight withthe pedal. Third, the rod actuator slide is designed with a two pointtensioning bar which is adjustable for applying force against thedisplacement rod inserted in the slide. This particularly provides for anovel combination of mechanical interaction and method for attenuatingthe effects of gravity on the downward rate at which the seat is capableof lowering to a horizontal position. In a particularly preferredembodiment the seat/lid are neutrally counterweighted with the pedal andthe first displacement rod without the need for a counter weight on thedisplacement shaft.

In still another embodiment, the seat and lid are designed such thatwhen the foot pedal is pushed down thereby causing the seat, and lid ifpresent, to rise, both the seat and lid remain in a near vertical tovertical position even if the user removes their foot from the pedal.

In another preferred embodiment, the seat and lid may be allowed toclose or fall at differential rates of drop to a horizontal position asthe foot pedal is eased upward by a user so as to provide for the lid todrop slower than the rate of drop of the seat. This aspect arises tosolve the problem of the lid slamming down which is caused by theinherent difference in spatial positioning between the seat and lid withrespect to their respective hinges and the free movement between theseat and lid which causes the lid to drop from a vertical position to ahorizontal position independently from the drop rate of the seat.Typically, there is enough differential in the rates and timing of dropto cause the lid to slam down onto the seat. With the present invention,slamming can be avoided.

In still other embodiments, the pedal is designed to include space toposition the foot or toe of the foot under the edge of the front of thepedal for lifting the pedal. In still further embodiments, the footpedal is equipped with a cane receptacle that will accommodate the tipof a crutch or cane, making it easier to depress the pedal forhandicapped individuals.

In still further advanced embodiments, the pedal and displacement rodscan be eliminated and replaced with a motor driven torque transferassembly wherein said motor is connected to the first displacement rodas it exits the support plate. Thus, in this embodiment the first cam isdirectly driven by the motor. In a further related embodiment, saidmotor can be further equipped with an infrared (IR) sensor that canactivate the motor to raise the seat/lid when a hand is waved past theIR sensor and lowered when the sensor detects a second pass of the hand.In a further embodiment the sensor can be placed at the side of thetoilet so that a user would have to consciously stretch out their handto wave past the senor in order to activate it.

Alternate advancements are also understood as comprising embodiments ofthe invention. For example, rather than the cam itself providing aseat/lid vertical swing travel limit stop tang, the travel limit cancomprise the hinge mounting bolt acting against the bottom rear of theseat or lid. With respect to any combination seat and lid systems of thecurrent invention, the user must use the pedal to lift the toilet lid tobe able to use the toilet. Thus, by equipping a toilet with a lidadorned seat, the seat should maintain a healthier sanitation.

Further embodiments of the invention device are provided below. Otherfeatures and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing drawings, detailed description, and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing of the torque transfer assemblycomprising first and second displacement rods, first and second cams,and support plate which is capable of attaching to the seat mount of anystandard toilet.

FIGS. 2A, B and C are cross sectional drawings of the dynamic engagementof first and second cams. In FIG. 2A the cams are shown in a resting orseat down position. FIG. 2B shows the position of the cams in mid arcdisplacement and FIG. 2C shows the terminal open or seat up position,wherein first cam catch ridge engages catch trough on second cam at sametime the displacement limitation block of the second cam contacts theouter trailing edge of first cam thereby limiting the further arcmovement of the cams.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the invention showing the arc movement of thepedal relative to that of the cam.

FIG. 4 is a perspective drawing of one embodiment of the pedal of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a top view of one embodiment without a lid and indicating indashed lines the positioning of the rod actuator slide/tension adjustingassembly that is positioned under the seat.

FIG. 6 is side view of the rod actuator slide/tension adjustingassembly.

FIGS. 7A and B are detailed example close-up views of the rod actuatorslide/tension adjusting assembly. In FIG. 7A, the tension adjustment baris shown adjusted upward on the seat hinge side of the rod actuatorslide/tension adjusting assembly. FIG. 7B is a close-up of the depictionin FIG. 7A showing that the tension bar is raised primarily on one side(the seat hinge side) with the adjustment screw on the other sideproviding a refinement adjustment for further tuning not only thedownward movement of the seat but also the neutral balance relative tothe counter weighted pedal and its displacement rod and the seat/lid.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the pedal which is connected to the firstdisplacement rod.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are alternate embodiments of a pedal that can be used asan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 shows another embodiment of the present invention wherein thetoilet seat is equipped with a lid which lid as depicted has tabs onunderside of the lid which frictionally engage tailored slots in thetoilet seat providing for a drop rate of the lid that is different fromthat of the seat.

FIGS. 12A and B show close-ups of the tab embodiments shown in FIG. 11.In FIG. 12A, the tabs and slots are shown juxtaposed. In FIG. 12B, aclose-up cross sectional representation is provided showing that the tab“a” is tapered for a slight slideable engagement of the tab surfaceswith the surface of both or even just one of the sides of the slot. “b”.

FIG. 13 shows a side view of a toilet with both seat and lid. In thisview the lid is depicted as dropping at a slower rate than the seat.

FIGS. 14A and B show a side view of the hinge portion of the seat andlid. The lid travel is limited by a travel limitation tang than contactsthe seat hinge or another portion of the toilet rim.

FIGS. 15 is an exploded view drawing of the seat and lid hinge whereinthe lid hinge is designed to both allow the seat to slip downward whenin the vertical position and additionally engage an axel of the hingewhich design of engagement induces the lid to rotate towards ahorizontal position once it has slipped downward from the seat slots.FIG. 15 shows an exploded view of one hinge embodiment.

FIGS. 16A and B are drawings showing one preferred shape for each of thefirst and second cams.

FIG. 17 is a drawing of a cross sectional view from the side of oneembodiment wherein the travel stop for the raising of the seat is thebottom of a portion of the seat surface 801 contacting the hinge pinmounting bolt cover 802.

FIG. 18 is a close-up cross sectional drawing from the side as depictedin FIG. 17 showing detail of the contact of the hinge cover 802 atportion 804 to contact surface 801.

FIG. 19 is a cross sectional drawing from the side showing that in aseat and lid combination, in this embodiment the travel limit of the lidis provided by the hinge pin cover 802 contacting surface 810.

FIG. 20 is a schematic drawing of the rear view of the seat and lidcombination for one embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a schematic top view of the lid and seat combination for oneembodiment wherein the lid and seat are depicted, in the vicinity of thehinge, in the vertical position. With this perspective, it can be seenthat when the seat and lid are in the vertical position the travel ofthe swing is limited by the contact of the lid surface 810 and the seatportion 804.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of one seat and lid combination embodimentwherein the portion of the lid is slanted so as to act as one half of afriction tabs 811 a and 811 b for contacting matching slanted surfaces812 a and 812 b in the seat.

FIG. 23 is a side view of a cam for use in seat and lid combinationswherein the seat acts as the travel limit for the arc of the seat andlid. As shown there is no need for a travel limit tang.

FIG. 24 is a schematic drawing showing the mounting bracket 301 forattaching the cams 304 and 306 and an electric motor connected to thefirst cam 306 with gears 701 and 702.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As those in the art will appreciate, the following description describescertain preferred embodiments of the invention in detail, and is thusonly representative and does not depict the actual scope of theinvention. Before describing the present invention in detail, it isunderstood that the invention is not limited to the particular devicearrangements, systems, and methodologies described, as these may vary.It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for thepurpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intendedto limit the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

In a first embodiment, the present invention comprises an improvedpedal-operated toilet seat/lid lifting/lowering device that ishands-free. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the inventionprovides for over 90 degree rotational arcing of the seat fromhorizontal to vertical with only about a 45 degree arc movement of thepedal, a rotational displacement not possible with simple rotatinggears.

With reference to FIG. 1, in a first preferred embodiment the inventioncomprises a torque transfer assembly 300 that comprises arotational-travel-limited double cam actuator held in working engagementby a support plate 301, the double cam actuator itself comprising twoopposing cams (first cam 306 and second cam 304) wherein first cam 306is firmly connected to, or alternatively an integral extension of, anelongate pedal displacement rod 105. First cam 306 is connected with therod such that rotation of the rod about an axis running there throughwill cause rotation of first cam 306. The pedal displacement rod 105 isheld in an aperture formed in the support plate 301 such that the rodcan rotate freely. In one embodiment the rod 105 is simply looselyengaged in the aperture without any form of bearings or, alternately,with bearings. The pedal displacement rod 105 is bent at least 90degrees after the rod exits the support plate 301 and is further formedto terminate in a pedal 126 and so as to rest in a position capable ofbeing accessed by the foot of a human when the invention device isattached to a toilet.

In a further embodiment, second cam 304 is also firmly connected to, oralternatively an integral extension of, an elongate toilet seatdisplacement rod 103 that is shorter that the pedal displacement rod 105and has two 90 degree bends. The toilet seat displacement rod 103 isconnected to the second cam 304 in the same manner as the first cam 306is to the pedal displacement rod 105. Additionally, the seatdisplacement rod 103 is held in place in the support plate 301 in thesame manner as the pedal displacement rod 105 such that it can freelyrotate.

As disclosed in FIGS. 2A, B, and C, actuation of the first cam 306, suchas by causing it to rotate counterclockwise, which actuation would beprovided by foot pressure action on the pedal 126 connected to theterminal end of the pedal displacement rod 105, causes force to beapplied on the second cam 304. Specifically, first cam 306 has agenerally “U”-shaped trough 306 a (FIG. 1 inset, FIG. 2C) which isbordered on one side by resting stop tang 306 b and on the other side bya catch ridge 306 c (see FIG. 2A). As first cam 306 is rotatedcounterclockwise, (FIG. 2B) the cam trough 306 a surface forces thelopsided nipple (non-uniform parabolic) 304 a of second cam 304 to inturn displace the second cam 304 forcing it to rotate, the two camsurfaces continuing to engage one another in counter rotation, thesecond cam 304 rotating a greater arc than the first cam 306. When thecatch ridge 306 c of first cam 306 engages catch trough 304 b of secondcam 304 the cams are stopped from further rotation. For added rigidityand overall strength to the double cam actuator in its ability to handlethe weight forces of the toilet seat and lid, the second cam 305 hasdisplacement limitation block or tang 304 c. When the catch ridge 306 cengages catch trough 304 b, displacement limitation tang 304 c alsosimultaneously engages or contacts the trailing surface of first cam306. In this position the toilet seat would be held in a verticalattitude. When the seat and lid are allowed to return to horizontal, thestop tang 306 b of first cam 306 engages the matching surface of secondcam 304. Moreover, as noted in FIG. 2C the novel torque transferassembly of the invention, comprising first and second cams provides forarc rotation of first cam 306 through an angle of α whereas second cam304 is capable of arcing through angle β, a surprisingly and significantdifference.

In a further related embodiment the cams are designed for their maximumarc differential rotation based on the curvature designed into both thefirst and second cams. For Example, as depicted in FIGS. 16A and B, thefirst and second cam can be designed with the functional shaped shown.As depicted in FIG. 16A, the second cam nipple or “tooth” is curvedabout a partial circular arc on one side leading to an abrupt anglesharply leading towards the spline-designed lifting rod attachmentgroove and arcing sharply perpendicular to the direction of the nippleat a point where the point of arc touches the 30 degree position asmeasured from a central axis located centrally in the nipple, saidcentrally meaning in-part that the central axis is in the same plane asthe axis of the lifting rod's attachment groove. This non-uniformparabolic shape allows for the cam to rotate about 90 degrees whenengaged with the first cam. In FIG. 16B, the first cam is shown with itsgenerally “U”-shaped groove. In this embodiment, the U has a generallyuniform partial arc leading to an abrupt angle wherein the trough of theU rises sharply to a ridge that is lower than the top of the U on theopposite side and that is smoothly curved. Thus, when the first andsecond cam are engaged, in their respective resting positions, theirrespective surfaces will mate. When the cams are rotated against oneanother, the lower lying curved ridge of the first cam applies arotating force onto the nipple of the second cam.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the invention device is disclosed as it wouldrest from a side view on the toilet. Specifically, support plate 301 ismounted onto the toilet rim 307 using standard bolts used to mount, forexample, a standard sized toilet seat. Once mounted, the torque transferassemble is positioned to rest lower than the toilet seat 111 and atabout the same lateral positioning of the seat hinge. In a similarfashion as inventor's own earlier rotating gear invention to which thecurrent invention claims priority, the double cam actuator of the torquetransfer assembly takes advantage of the changing vector force actingupon the seat displacement rod due to the weight of the seat as the seatdisplacement rod slidably engages the seat. Whereas the previousinvention comprised both an actuator slide in the form of a slide clipand a slot in the seat itself, the current invention has the seconddisplacement rod engaging an actuator slide/tension adjusting assembly312 which has three important functions both structural and dynamic.First, the actuator assembly comprises a formed durable material such asfor example plastic, rubber, or fiberglass and other materials ofcomparable weight and strength. In a preferred embodiment the assembly'souter circumference forms a rigid seat support for supporting the seaton the rim of the toilet particularly under the weight of a personsitting thereon. In this case the support is for the rear or hinge sideof the seat and to accommodate placement of the invention with the pedalon either side of the toilet, the actuator slide/tension adjustingassembly 312 is placed as supports on both sides of the seat near theseat hinge. In one related embodiment, the actuator slide/tensionadjusting assembly 312 is molded as an integral part of the seat 111. Asindicated in FIG. 3, when the pedal displacement rod 105 is presseddown, the seat displacement rod 103 is activated to raise the seat 111.Second, because of the lower placement of the slide relative to the seatsurface (undersurface) as well as its placement forward of the seathinge, when pressure is applied to the pedal, the vector force ofgravity acting on the seat, and lid if present, is decreased, asexperienced by the pressure required to be applied on the pedal. Thisaspect provides additional counterbalancing affect. Third, the actuatorassembly 312 is designed with a tensioning plate for applying pressureon the terminal portion of the seat displacement rod 103. As shown inFIG. 6, actuator slide/tension adjusting assembly 312 is in contact withseat 111. The assembly 312 comprises an outer circumference of durablematerial. In the middle running the length of the material making up thesupport, except for the terminal portions, is a slot 402 in which seatdisplacement rod 103 is positioned. Along the bottom of the slot 402 istension bar 401 that is itself both held in place and adjusted up ordown by, adjustment screws 403 a and 403 b as depicted in FIGS. 7A andB. With respect to adjustment screw 403 b, the tension bar is primarilyadjusted here, i.e., opposite the seat hinge side of the assembly 312.After adjustment screw 403 b is adjusted an amount φ to providesufficient tension to keep the toilet from slamming down, adjustmentscrew 403 a is adjusted to assist smooth travel of the seat lid up in afully counterbalanced fashion. FIG. 5 shows a vertical view of theinvention attached to a toilet. As depicted the tension bar 401 liesunder seat displacement rod 103. The current invention further advancesthe art by eliminating both a need for an adjustable arc rotationtermination screw (discussed above) and a counter weight on the pedaldisplacement rod.

Further useful aspects of the invention include a pedal having any ofvarious embodiments such as shown for example in FIG. 4, namely, a pedal126 having a receptacle 208 for a cane and under side lip 122 forproviding a space under which to place the toe of the foot for raisingthe pedal. Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, the pedal canalso have numerous other attributes including an angled toe catch 268and flat foot surface 261. The pedal can be attached to the displacementrod 105 either through one of a multiplicity of bores 123 in the pedal(FIG. 4), or in bores 265 or 207 for adjusting the pedal higher or loweras needed.

As further depicted in FIGS. 11 to 15, the invention provides forregulating the rate at which a toilet seat lid, if present, will dropthereby solving an inherent problem of the lid slamming down in anunregulated fashion in toilet models requiring a lid. In the currentinvention where a lid is present, when the seat is raised, the lid hingeis designed so as to limit the rotation of the lid to the vertical butas the seat is lowered also cause the lid to shift its center of gravityenough to cause the lid to fall towards horizontal due solely to theeffects of gravity. This aspect allows for the simplest solution to ameans for lowering the seat, namely, gravity.

Limiting the lid rotation from horizontal to vertical can beaccomplished by numerous means. For example, as shown in FIGS. 14A andB, in a preferred embodiment the hinge 603 connecting the seat 111 andlid 600 can be designed with travel limits on the lid hinge plate 602that engage the seat hinge anchor plate 604 on the toilet rim or onanother portion of the toilet rim. As the seat 111 and lid 600 israised, the lid 600 travels with the seat 111 until the travel limitblock 304 c of the second cam 304 engages the first cam 306, theengagement set to limit out when the seat 111 is vertical. Naturally, itis contemplated that the lid 600 is also at vertical. The lid 600 travellimit is particularly provided by limit tang 601 which can be fixedlyconnected to the hinge plate 602 or formed as an integral part of saidplate. When the lid is rotated up to a vertical position with the seat,since (as disclosed below) lid friction tabs 501 a and 501 b are engagedwith slots 503 a and 503 b the lid has a tendency to remain so engageduntil the lid reaches the vertical position. This is because the tabsand their respective slots are engineered, as would be understandable toone of ordinary skill in the art, to engage one another by minimalfrictional force. By “minimal frictional force” is meant that amount offriction between two bodies to allow slippage of said two bodies pastone another as opposed to no slippage (where one body is stationary andthe other acting under gravitational force) but at a rate lower than ifsaid two bodies had no friction acting between one another. Once the lidis vertical, it will be affected by gravity and have a natural tendencyto slip downward slightly due to a further novel embodiment wherein thelid hinge is designed to allow the lid to slip downward on the axis ofthe hinge, combined with the slots being engineered in the rear sectionof the seat such that the slots actually comprise open ended slots inthe rear of the seat. Thus, there is nothing obstructing the downwardslippage of the seat on its elongated slot hinge once it is brought to avertical position. Consequently, the lid friction tabs can fullyseparate from the slots in the seat. The downward movement of the lid isterminated while remaining in the vertical position by contact of thelid travel limit tang 601 with the hinge plate 602 or other part of thetoilet rim top.

With respect to the lid hinge designed to allow vertical slippage of thelid and the embodiment providing for causing the lid to shift its centerof gravity upon the seat being induced to rotate from vertical tohorizontal, both are interrelated. Specifically, as depicted in FIG. 15the seat hinge 603 comprises hinge axel pin 700, seat attachment hingeplate 605, seat mounting hinge plate 604, and lid attachment hinge plate602. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the axel pin 700 iscylindrical and is slidingly fitted to a cylindrical aperture 704 inseat attachment hinge 605. Likewise, hinge mounting plate 604 isslidingly fitted to said axel pin 700. In a further preferredembodiment, the lid attachment hinge plate 602 has an oblong aperture705 through which the axel pin 700 is positioned. The oblong aperture705 is situated with respect to the lid attachment end of the hingeplate 602 so that when the lid is in a vertical position, the oblongaperture 705 is also longest from top to bottom or essentially in thevertical position as well. When the lid is brought to a verticalposition the lid is induced by gravity to drop about between 0.5 cm and1.5 cm. The lid remains in a vertical position however until the seat isinduced to lower. Upon the seat lowering, because the oblong aperture705 is designed to lean in the vertical slightly to the closed position,it will induce the lid to fall forward on the axel pin 700.Alternatively, if a user wishes to sit on the seat with the lidremaining in the vertical, the user simply can nudge the lid up from theseat from its resting position to the vertical in which case the lidwill rest on the limit tang 601, and if the user wishes to lift the lidby pressing the pedal, and then letting the seat drop to the horizontal,then the user can simply arrest the lid from falling to keep it balancedon the limit tang 601 until nudged towards the closing position in whichcase the lid will drop on its own by gravity and the rate of drop willbe affected by the tabs 501 a and 501 b.

Once the seat and lid have reached this limit, the seat and lid canremain in the raised position easily due to the equal counterbalancebetween the seat/lid weight and the counter weight provided by thecombination of the pedal and pedal displacement rod weight, the spatialpositioning of the cam actuator lower than the seat hinge, and thetension adjustment bar. When the seat is lowered by a tug of the toe onthe bottom of the pedal the lid will inherently drop and follow the seatdown to a resting horizontal position. In a preferred embodiment the liddrop rate is regulated by friction between tabs 501 a and 501 b thatform an integral part of the under surface of the lid 502 and slots 503a and 503 b which are formed into the rear edge of the toilet seat 504.As shown in FIGS. 12A and B and FIG. 13, the tabs can be fixedly fittedon to, but preferably are molded into, the toilet lid. The dimensions ofthe tabs can be a plurality of sizes but generally protrude from theunder surface of the lid to a distance sufficient to extend into thedepth of the slot at least enough so that the sides surfaces of thetabs, which are thicker than the slot width by enough of a dimension tocause the tab to frictionally engage the side surfaces of the slots. Ina further preferred embodiment, the frictional engagement of the tabsand slots is sufficient to slow the drop of the lid without causing thelid to be held firmly by the frictional engagement of the tabs and lid.Instead, the friction allowed to be applied due to the choice of tab andslot dimensions is such that the lid tabs will slide against the sidesof the slots without becoming wedged and in any event when the seat andlid are in a vertical position, the lid will disengage from any grippingit may experience with the seat.

In operation, when the foot pedal is pressed, the cam actuator transferstorque applied via the foot pedal and pedal displacement rod intorotational force on the seat lifting displacement rod thereby liftingthe seat. Because the seat is evenly balanced between the force requiredto lift the seat by pressing down on the pedal versus letting the seatreturn to a horizontal position by pulling up on the lip of the pedal,the seat can be brought to a resting position without slamming. Further,the lid, if present, can freely drop and as the tabs under the lidengage the slots of the seat, the lid drop rate will sharply decreaseand cause the lid to slowing drop to a resting horizontal position.There is an inherent benefit for installing lid covered toilet seatswith the current pedal driven invention, particularly in men's toiletsas the user will be required to lift the seat (and lid) in order to useit, thereby lessening the likelihood of soiling the toilet seat withurine.

In yet alternate embodiments, the seat and/or lid combination can bedesigned as shown in FIGS. 17 to 22. In this embodiment, the seat 800,as in other embodiments, comprises seat mounts 312 with lifting rodslots 402 located at the rear lateral position. The hinge in thisembodiment comprises a hinge pin 807 (FIG. 20) formed in a rigidsubstrate 802 which substrate is shaped in an “L” further comprising amounting bolt 803 positioned at 90 degree angle with respect to thehinge pin 807. Seat 800 has a section 804 (FIG. 18) comprising surface801 along the rearward underside of the seat which when the seat islifted, surface 801 contacts hinge substrate 802 and terminates theability of the seat to travel any further in the upward direction. FIG.18 is a close-up view showing the hinge pin attachment lobe 806 rotatedwith the seat in the vertical position. As depicted, seat surface 801impacts the hinge pin substrate 802. FIG. 19 depicts the similararrangement with a seat and lid combination. With respect to the lid, ithas a travel limit capability due to the uniquely designed limit stopsurface 810 which contacts a portion of hinge pin substrate 802.

FIG. 20 shows a rear view of the above alternate embodiment. As isunderstandable to one of skill in the mechanical arts, hinge substrate802, which encompasses hinge pin 807 and mounting bolt 803 is formed soas to have an elongated hinge pin 807 to connect to hinge pin lobe 806of seat 800 and the lid portion 820 encompassing the pin.

In a further aspect of the above alternate embodiment, the rate of fallof the seat is slowed similarly to that of the embodiment disclosed inFIGS. 11 to 13 in that the reduction in fall rate is accomplished with aminimal frictional contact between slanted surfaces 811 a and 811 b, and812 a and 812 b, respectively. Specifically, when the lid is urged tofall to a horizontal position, the slanted surfaces will contact withminimal friction and the lid will slowly close. FIG. 21 shows a viewfrom the top wherein the lid and seat are raised in the verticalposition. As depicted, surface 810 of the lid and seat section 804contact hinge pin substrate 802. FIG. 22 shows a perspective viewproviding another view to comprehend the lid and seat combination.

Thus, with this alternate embodiment, the user can press the foot pedaland lift both seat and lid simultaneously. The seat travel willterminate upon the seat surface 801 contacting the hinge pin substrate802. Consequently, there is no need to include a travel stop tang on thesecond of the two cam assembly as depicted in FIG. 23 further advancingthe art by simplification and lowering expense of manufactured parts.Further, whether applied to one embodiment or another disclosed herein,the seat drop weight can be tailored to the counter weight in the pedaland/or amount of friction than can be applied by the tensioning plate.

Still further, the current invention benefits from the multipoint travellimitation capability. For example, in some instances, such as hightraffic use locations, it may benefit the longevity of the hardware toemploy the above alternate embodiment yet keep a travel limit tang onthe seat lifting cam. In such arrangement, the hardware would benefitfrom having travel limits built into both the cam and the seat surfaces.

In yet another alternate embodiment, the pedal and its associated rodcan be replaced by a motor which is connected to a gear attached to ashortened rod. For example, as depicted in FIG. 24, the motor can bemounted on the assembly mounting bracket 301 but in and extended portion704 thereof. Specifically, motor 703, which can be any A/C driven orbattery operated motor having a sufficient torque to raise and lower theseat and lid. It is contemplated in such an arrangement that the motoris housed in a fashion to keep it sealed from contact with liquids andis connected to the cam via gears 701 and 702. It is also contemplatedthat the motor would be activated through infra red sensor technology,which is well understood by one of skill in the electronic arts, bywaving a hand across a sensor that can be located along the side of thetoilet, its water tank if present, or in a casing removed from thetoilet itself. A routine can be designed into the electronics for the IRsensor to act as an up an down switch.

All of the compositions and methods disclosed and claimed herein can bemade and executed without undue experimentation in light of the presentdisclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention havebeen described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent tothose of skill in the art that variations may be applied to thecompositions and methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps ofthe method described herein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention. More specifically, the described embodiments are to beconsidered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. Allsimilar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in theart are deemed to be within the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

All patents, patent applications, and publications mentioned in thespecification are indicative of the levels of those of ordinary skill inthe art to which the invention pertains. All patents, patentapplications, and publications, including those to which priority oranother benefit is claimed, are herein incorporated by reference to thesame extent as if each individual publication was specifically andindividually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

The invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practicedin the absence of any element(s) not specifically disclosed herein.Thus, for example, in each instance herein any of the terms“comprising”, “consisting essentially of”, and “consisting of” may bereplaced with either of the other two terms. The terms and expressionswhich have been employed are used as terms of description and not oflimitation, and there is no intention that use of such terms andexpressions imply excluding any equivalents of the features shown anddescribed in whole or in part thereof, but it is recognized that variousmodifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention hasbeen specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optionalfeatures, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosedmay be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that suchmodifications and variations are considered to be within the scope ofthis invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A toilet seat lifting and lowering apparatus comprising: A) a torquetransfer mechanism comprising first and second cams, said second camhaving a tooth which contacts a groove in said first cam; B) first andsecond lever arms, said first arm connected to said first cam and to afoot pedal, said second arm connected to said second cam and in slidingcontact with said toilet seat, said pedal comprising a counter weight;and C) at least one seat mount, said seat mount comprising a lateralslot for accommodating said second arm wherein said second arm ismaintained in said slot, said apparatus characterized in that when aforce is applied downward on said pedal, the first lever arm is causedto rotate translating such rotation to the first cam which displacementof said first cam causes said second cam to rotationally displace andtranslate such displacement to said second lever arm which in turnforces said seat to lift, and where an upward force applied to saidpedal causes an opposite rotation of said first lever arm and therebytranslates motion to said first cam which in turn acts upon said secondcam to displace and thereby cause the second lever arm to rotate forcingsaid seat to a lower position.
 2. A toilet seat lifting and loweringapparatus of claim 1 further comprising a lid, wherein said lid isattachable to a toilet in relation to said seat via a hinge having thesame axis of rotation and fulcrum as said seat.
 3. A toilet seat liftingand lowering apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first cam comprises atleast one groove for slidingly and rotationally contacting said secondcam, said second cam comprising at least one tooth.
 4. A toilet seatlifting and lowering apparatus of claim 2, wherein said lid furthercomprises at least two friction tabs, said tabs projecting from theunder surface of said lid and sized to engage by minimal friction atleast two slots, respectively, positioned on said seat in closeproximity to said hinge.
 5. A toilet seat lifting and lowering apparatusof claim 1, wherein said lateral slot in said seat mount furthercomprises a tension adjusting assembly, said assembly comprising a seatsupport, a lifting rod slot, and a tensioning plate.
 6. A toilet seatlifting and lowering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arc of swing ofthe seat from horizontal to vertical is limited by a displacementlimitation tang associated with said second cam.
 7. A toilet seatlifting and lowering apparatus comprising: A) a torque transfermechanism comprising first and second cams, said second cam having atooth which contacts a groove in said first cam; B) first and secondlever arms, said first arm connected to said first cam and to a footpedal, said second arm connected to said second cam and in slidingcontact with said toilet seat, said pedal comprising a counter weight;C) at least one seat mount, said seat mount comprising a lateral slotfor accommodating said second arm wherein said second arm is maintainedin said slot, and D) a hinge assembly comprising a hinge pin andmounting bolt fixed in a solid substrate at 90 degrees to one another,said hinge pin having a length to connect to both a seat and a lid. saidapparatus characterized in that when a force is applied downward on saidpedal, the first lever arm is caused to rotate translating such rotationto the first cam which displacement of said first cam causes said secondcam to rotationally displace and translate such displacement to saidsecond lever arm which in turn forces said seat to lift, and where anupward force applied to said pedal causes an opposite rotation of saidfirst lever arm and thereby translates motion to said first cam which inturn acts upon said second cam to displace and thereby cause the secondlever arm to rotate forcing said seat to a lower position.
 8. A toiletseat lifting and lowering apparatus of claim 7, wherein an upward travelof said seat is limited by any or all of a travel limit stop in a camand a surface of the seat contacting a surface of said hinge pinsubstrate.
 9. A toilet seat lifting and lowering apparatus of claim 7,wherein said seat has a slanted surface for contacting a slanted surfaceon said lid with a minimal friction contact.
 10. A toilet seat liftingand lowering apparatus comprising: A) a torque transfer mechanismcomprising first and second cams, said second cam having a tooth whichcontacts a groove in said first cam; B) first and second lever arms,said first arm connected to said first cam and to an electric motor,said second arm connected to said second cam and in sliding contact withsaid toilet seat, said motor capable of a torque to lift said seat andor lid and lower said seat and or lid; C) at least one seat mount, saidseat mount comprising a lateral slot for accommodating said second armwherein said second arm is maintained in said slot, and D) a hingeassembly comprising a hinge pin and mounting bolt fixed in a solidsubstrate at 90 degrees to one another, said hinge pin having a lengthto connect to both a seat and a lid. said apparatus characterized inthat when a force is applied downward on said pedal, the first lever armis caused to rotate translating such rotation to the first cam whichdisplacement of said first cam causes said second cam to rotationallydisplace and translate such displacement to said second lever arm whichin turn forces said seat to lift, and where an upward force applied tosaid pedal causes an opposite rotation of said first lever arm andthereby translates motion to said first cam which in turn acts upon saidsecond cam to displace and thereby cause the second lever arm to rotateforcing said seat to a lower position.
 11. A toilet seat lifting andlowering apparatus of claim 10 wherein said motor is activated by aninfra red sensor.
 12. A toilet seat having at least one slotted rearseat mount for accepting a lifting rod.
 13. A toilet seat of claim 12further comprising a hinge having a substrate surface thereof that ispositioned with respect to a portion of said seat when the seat isattached to a toilet such that when the seat is fully raised to anupright position, said surface of said seat will contact said hingesubstrate thereby terminating the ability of the seat to swing anyfurther past said upright position.
 14. A toilet seat of claim 13further comprising a lid wherein said hinge substrate is positioned withrespect to a portion of said lid when the lid is attached to a toilet bysaid hinge such that when the lid is fully raised to an uprightposition, said surface of said lid will contact said hinge substratethereby terminating the ability of the lid to swing any further pastsaid upright position.
 15. A toilet seat of claim 14 further comprisinga seat lifting lever arm inserted into said slot.
 16. A toilet seat ofclaim 15 further comprising a torque transfer assembly comprising adouble cam actuator connected to said seat lifting lever arm.
 17. Atoilet seat of claim 16 further comprising a second lever arm connectedto at least one of said cams, said second lever arm further connected toone of an electric motor or a foot pedal.
 18. A toilet seat of claim 1 7wherein said lid further comprises at least one surface for slidinglycontacting a surface of said seat by minimal frictional force forslowing rate of drop of said lid onto said seat.
 19. An article ofmanufacture comprising a toilet seat system comprising a toilet seatcomprising at least one slotted rear seat mount for accepting a liftingrod, at least one surface on said seat for contacting a portion of ahinge pin mount substrate for terminating arc travel about said hinge ofsaid seat when said seat is attached to a toilet, said terminationoccurring when said seat is raised to an upright position, and a torquetransfer assembly comprising a two cam actuator for translating linearmotion to rotational motion, said cam assembly connected to said toiletand to said seat by a mounting bracket.
 20. An article of manufacture ofclaim 19 further comprising a lid.
 21. An article of manufacture ofclaim 20 wherein said hinge substrate is positioned with respect to aportion of said lid when the lid is attached to a toilet by said hingesuch that when the lid is fully raised to an upright position, saidsurface of said lid will contact said hinge substrate therebyterminating the ability of the lid to swing any further past saidupright position.
 22. An article of manufacture of claim 21 wherein saidtwo cams comprise at least one groove in one cam and at least one toothin said second cam.